The present invention relates to tractor ballast and, more specifically, relates to ballast boxes for attachment to tractor three-point hitches.
With front-mounted implements, a loader, for example, attached to a tractor, instability of the tractor, especially the rear of the tractor, can result. Instability can include front-end and sideways tipping. Counterweights, known as ballast, must be applied to the rear of the tractor in order to prevent this instability.
Currently, fluid is injected into the rear tractor tires and/or cast iron wheel weights are bolted to the rims of the rear tractor tires to achieve initial ballast. This method of adding ballast is undesirable for lawn care implements. It is also known to add further ballast by mounting a detachable ballast box implement to the tractor rear three-point hitch. A known ballast box attachment is a 610 mm x 406 mm x 508 mm steel box, which users contend is difficult to move or attach or detach from the three-point hitch when filled with sand or cement, as is the practice. This box has the further drawback of protruding farther rearward and upward than is desired, thus decreasing the amount of stability provided to the tractor.
According to the present invention, there is provided an improved ballast attachment for mounting to a tractor three-point hitch.
An object of the invention is to provide a three-point hitch ballast attachment which is easy to attach to, and detach from, the three-point hitch and which provides good stability.
A more specific object of the invention is to provide a three-point hitch ballast attachment which is formed in one major piece including a hitch bar receptacle located on its forward side for receiving a transverse bar mounted between rear ends of the three-point hitch lower arms, the bar acting to elevate and support the ballast attachment in an operative position when the arms are raised after the bar is received in the receptacle.
Yet a more specific object is to provide a ballast attachment, as set forth in the immediately preceding object, wherein conical centering or guide plates are mounted at the opposite ends of the transverse bar at locations inwardly of the opposite ends of the lower hitch arms for engaging opposite ends of the receptacle of the ballast attachment.